Measures

As part of its strategy aimed at improving the nation's industry, MiSE with M.D. of 6 August 2010 has undertaken measures to subsidise investments for the industrialisation of qualified research and experimental development projects, and provide incentives to measures undertaken by SMEs and large enterprises to improve their competitiveness and environmental protection.

M.D. of 6 August 2010 has implemented two lines of intervention:

• CALL FOR INDUSTRIALISATION
• CALL FOR INNOVATIVE OBJECTIVES

CALL FOR INDUSTRIALISATION

Opening date: 10/12/2010;  Deadline: 09/04/2011

The M.D. of 6 August 2010 "Investment projects for the achievement of specific industrialisation objectives of the results of qualified research and experimental development programmes", adopted as part of the implementation of M.D. of 23 July 2009 concerning new subsidising procedures for production investments within technological areas of the "Industrial Innovation Projects".

The objective is to subsidise the industrialisation of the results of qualified research and experimental development programmes thus promoting both the competitiveness of Italy's industry and the results of the research and development activities of the enterprises in the Convergence regions.

To access the subsidies the programmes had to focus on industrial research and experimental development activities aimed at:

• Acquiring new knowledge in order to develop new products, processes and services or leading to the improvement of those currently existing;
• Putting industrial research into practice by means of planning and implementing pilot projects or prototypes with the objective of creating new products, processes and services i.e. to implement significant change to current products and production processes notwithstanding the programme's ability to significantly improve existing technologies;

Moreover the programmes had to relate to one of the following:

• Implementation of new production activities;
• Expansion of existing production units;
• Diversification of the production unit towards new products/additional services;
• Significant change to the overall production process of an existing production unit.

Each programme had to guarantee the successful achievement of the objectives set out and had to relate to a sole production unit. This production unit had to have a technical, organisational, managerial and functional independence and had to be located in the Convergence regions.

For the implementation of the interventions € 100 million was allocated under the NOP for Research and Competitiveness 2007-2013.

To 7 May 2012, 83 requests for subsidisation had been received, of which 22 successfully passed the regularity and completeness assessments, 35 were facing preliminary checks and 26 were rejected.

With the Decree of 5 April, 2012 (D.M. of 5 April 2012, published in the Official Journal No. 152 of 2 July 2012), the Ministry of Economic Development adopted changes to M.D. 6 August 2010 financed by the NOP for Research and Competitiveness; the modifications adopted concerned the entrustment to the Managing Body - INVITALIA of the necessary assessment procedures for the verification of compliance between the investment programmes (for which the subsidy is requested) and the objectives of the planned interventions. The objective is to streamline the timing of the preliminary assessments.

Further changes to the M.D. of 6 August 2010 have been implemented with the M.D. 9 August 2012; the decree (published in the Official Journal No. 199 of 27 August 2012) streamlines procedures and ensures the tender is compliant with new certification regulations; ensures the subsidised activities and those relative to the preliminary assessments of programme variations are shorter and easier to access; redefines the activity of the Managing Body concerning the final assessments of the implementation of the investment; and provides clearer regulations concerning cases for the termination of subsidisation.

CALL FOR INNOVATIVE OBJECTIVES

Opening date: 08/12/2010; Deadline: 07/04/2011

The M.D. of 6 August 2010 "Investment projects for the achievement of specific innovation, improvement of competitiveness and environmental protection objectives", adopted as part of the implementation of M.D. of 23 July 2009 concerning new subsidising procedures for production investments within technological areas of the "Industrial Innovation Projects".

The objective is to promote the competitiveness of Italy's industry by supporting investment programmes for the achievement of specific innovation, improvement of competitiveness and environmental protection objectives undertaken by SMEs and large enterprises.

To access the subsidies the programmes must focus on:

• Food sector activities;
• Manufacturing of electrical equipment and non-electrical domestic equipment;

And relate to one of the following:

• Implementation of new production activities;
• Expansion of existing production units;
• Diversification of the production unit towards new products/additional services;
• Significant change to the overall production process of an existing production unit.

Each programme had to focus on a sole production unit i.e. a production structure with technical, organisational, managerial and functional independence located in the Convergence regions.

For the implementation of the interventions € 100 million was allocated under the NOP for Research and Competitiveness 2007-2013.

To 7 May 2012, 117 requests for subsidisation have been received, of which 76 have successfully passed the regularity and completeness assessments, 37 are facing preliminary checks and 4 have been rejected.

With the Decree of 5 April, 2012 (D.M. of 5 April 2012, published in the Official Journal No. 152 of 2 July 2012), the Ministry of Economic Development adopted some changes to M.D. 6 August 2010 financed by the NOP for Research and Competitiveness; the modifications adopted concern the entrustment to theManaging Body- INVITALIA of the necessary assessment procedures for the verification of compliance between the investment programmes (for which the subsidy is requested) and the objectives of the planned interventions. The objective is to streamline the timing of the preliminary assessments.

Further changes to the M.D. of 6 August 2010 have been implemented with theM.D. of 9 August 2012; the decree (published in the Official Journal No. 199 of 27 August 2012) streamlines procedures and ensures the tender is compliant with new certification regulations; ensures the subsidised activities and those relative to the preliminary assessments of programme variations are quicker and easier to access; redefines the activity of the Managing Body concerning the final assessments of the implementation of the investment; and provides clearer regulations concerning cases for the termination of subsidisation.

Further recently implemented measures:

• Integrated "Sustainable Development" Action
• Integrated "Digital Innovation" Action